L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Sampson with a recipient of a gift card instead of a traffic citation as part of Lomita Sheriff’s Station random act of kindness project over the holidays. (Courtesy photo)

L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Sampson made the traffic stop just like any other. With the lights of his patrol car flashing, he pulled the car over and approached the driver’s side window.

Sampson had a surprise that would turn the encounter from one of dread to a random act of kindness.During one recent stop captured on a Facebook video, he left the recipient speechless with a big smile.

Sampson has been passing out gift cards and a holiday greeting in recent weeks instead of issuing citations for minor traffic infractions thanks to Torrance resident Gabriela Fischer, who along with her son, Kevin, 12, and husband, Christian, started the Utopian Society Project three years ago.

“Our main purpose is to inspire people to do something kind that way all the people who receive a random act of kindness will do the same thing, to create a domino effect,” she said .

Fischer thought what better way to get the ball rolling than to start with the Lomita Sheriff’s Station. She was familiar with some of the deputies who dined at El Pollo Inka in Rolling Hills Estates where she worked, and the deputies thought it was a good fit.

“A lot of people are distrustful of police, so I like to show that we are doing more than just writing tickets and sending people to jail,” Sampson said. “I wanted to shed a positive light on what we do, which is helping our community in general, and this tiny gift card is just one of the ways we can do that.”

Within the greeting card is a gift card worth between $20 and $30 from a local retailer or restaurant, along with a heartfelt message in remembrance of Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the shooting at the Borderline Bar in Thousand Oaks on Nov. 7.

“The biggest thing it does is give people a different light of police officers,” Sampson said. “It changes their perspective.”

When Sampson heads out to give away a gift card, he said he looks for a small infraction, something like a taillight or an expired registration.

“That signals to me that maybe they are having a hard time with their bills,” he said. “I look for people who are in need.”

Fischer said she was inspired to create the program after receiving a random act of kindness about 20 years ago when her car broke down on the side of the freeway and a stranger stopped to help her.

L.A. County Sheriffs Deputy Mike Sampson with a recipient of a gift card instead of a traffic citation as part of Lomita Sheriffs Station random act of kindness project over the holidays. (Courtesy photo)

“The man stopped his car and called AAA to get my car towed to a repair shop,” she said. “He even got me a 50 percent discount, though I never knew if he paid the other half or not.”

Thanks to an additional discount from the auto shop, Fischer paid just $200 on a roughly $800 job.

“That always stuck with me,” she said.

About three years ago, Fischer and her son began paying it forward by bringing food to officers at the Lomita station. That’s when she struck on the idea of the gift cards that officers could pass out as an act of kindness.

It took a few months to get the necessary liability approved by the department and round up enough donors to contribute gift cards. Soon enough the program was a reality and giving out its first cards in 2016.

Thanks to additional donations from Harley Davidson and others, Sampson will be handing out gift cards well after the New Year.

“With everything you see on T.V., it’s important to let people know there is still hope for humankind,” Fischer said. “There are still good people out there.”

David Rosenfeld has been working as a professional journalist for nearly 20 years at newspapers, magazines and websites. He's covered murder trials, interviewed governors and presidential candidates and once did a flip in a biplane for a story assignment. Before joining The Daily Breeze in 2018 to cover El Segundo, Hawthorne and aerospace, he worked at The Beach Reporter in Redondo Beach. In his free time, David loves outdoor sports such as sailing, mountain biking and golfing.